Apologies to Tony Magliano

I have the wonderful experience of being able to enjoy reading both the San Jose and San Francisco diocesan newspapers. The latest issue of the Valley Catholic in San Jose contains the article by nationally syndicated columnist Tony Magliano, which prompted two caustic and scathing letters in the latest issue of Catholic San Francisco where the same column appeared two weeks earlier.

I read the letters first and was eager to see what triggered this vitriol. I should have guessed that the letters were purely political. They were silent on the apartheid taking place in Gaza. No mention was made of the increase in illegal settlements on Arab lands, nor the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation of Israel for “carrying out war crimes,” nor the blockade which prevents Gaza from being rebuilt nine months after the “war” which killed, injured and displaced hundreds of thousands. Carefully forgotten was Prime Minister Netanyahu’s pre-election day pledge of “No Two State Solution.” The situation in the Holy Land is truly tragic.

The instances of letter writers attacking an informed, peace activist, journalist who has written for many years, in numerous Catholic publications, on matters consistent with Catholic social teaching, was totally political. More critically, it was pure, uninformed character assassination. On behalf of Mr. Magliano’s West Coast readers, I want to personally apologize to him. I hope that Tony Magliano will continue to shed light on the critical moral issues that we followers of Christ must know about, and be prepared to act on.